Chinese Carbon Bike Build (CCBB or C2B2)

[GB]

The background: I spent ~3 months researching/drooling over carbon frames on eBay, diving into other forums for reviews, and trying to find manufacturer’s websites. After more or less settling on the AC129 frame from ICAN (seems to previously done business as miracle) I reached out to them for pricing. It was $420 for frame and fork – I almost bought 2. Throw in everything else carbon and final price with 4 water bottle cages, 1 paint color ($50) and shipping ($80) was $740.

I worked with Linda at ICAN and she was very helpful. It would have been nice if they published every dimension (I’m learning that there are several variable dimension that have to match in order to put a bike together, the following come to mind, seat tube diameter for the front derailleur clamp, the rear hub size needed, and the disc size). Linda was always able to answer my questions, generally in 24 hrs.

After finally convincing my SO that what we really needed was another bike I sent payment via PayPal (Linda kept prompting me during our ~1 month long email exchange that I should pay them). After I paid, it took ~3 weeks to paint and ship the bike.

Note: ICAN offers a full build with Ultegra and BB7s for ~$1,800. If I didn’t actively want to build the bike this seems like a good option, although I’m sceptical of any wheels Hozn didn’t build.

Topic

[GB]

Aspects of the bikes geometry were discussed here: (thanks for everyone’s input)

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?2618-Covet&p=114468#post114468

Initial pictures posted here:

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?6900-Your-latest-bike-purchase&p=116901#post116901

First build pics and comments here:

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?6900-Your-latest-bike-purchase&p=117116#post117116

[dkel]

Have you gotten all your parts together yet, or are you still working that out?

[83b]

I’ve been coveting this new Chinese carbon cross bike with discs and thru axels. My concern is that at ~6’4″ (with long legs and a short torso) I wouldn’t be a particularly good fit on the 58cm. And that the frame has a fairly steep headtube angle and short headtube height.

Yours is a very nice looking frame! Can’t wait to hear how your build goes and your new bike rides!

[GB]

@dkel 117241 wrote:

Have you gotten all your parts together yet, or are you still working that out?

Thanks for asking!

I’ve ordered all the parts for the wheels, Stan’s grail rims, generic 6 bolt hubs, Sapim D-Light spokes and red and black brass nipples have been ordered. I wasn’t sure how the red nipples would look and they were $16 so I got then and the black ones and I’ll use whichever looks best.

The groupset order is still pending. Either 105 with TRP Spyre brakes, or for ~$100 more, 105 with full hydraulic brakes. Either way, compact crank, 11-28 cassette, and short rear derailleur.

Thoughts on the brakes?

[GB]

@83(b) 117242 wrote:

I’ve been coveting this new Chinese carbon cross bike with discs and thru axels. My concern is that at ~6’4″ (with long legs and a short torso) I wouldn’t be a particularly good fit on the 58cm. And that the frame has a fairly steep headtube angle and short headtube height.

Yours is a very nice looking frame! Can’t wait to hear how your build goes and your new bike rides!

That looks nice!

Thru axles were a bit of technology that didn’t make it into this bike. Mostly because I only learned about them as I was researching the wheels to go with this bike.

Regarding the frame size, I’d suggest sending them an email and asking if they’ll make a 60/62 frame for you. I read at least one review that said they make the size models when they get the order. -although that won’t solve the HTA issue.

[vvill]

@GB 117245 wrote:

Thanks for asking!

I’ve ordered all the parts for the wheels, Stan’s grail rims, generic 6 bolt hubs, Sapim D-Light spokes and red and black brass nipples have been ordered. I wasn’t sure how the red nipples would look and they were $16 so I got then and the black ones and I’ll use whichever looks best.

The groupset order is still pending. Either 105 with TRP Spyre brakes, or for ~$100 more, 105 with full hydraulic brakes. Either way, compact crank, 11-28 cassette, and short rear derailleur.

Thoughts on the brakes?

You (umm… hozn) could alternate red and black nipples?

I don’t know enough about hydraulic brakes to really comment. TRP Spyres are well reviewed, other than potential spoke clearance issues.

[hozn]

vvill is right about spoke clearance being potential concern. If it is really just $100 difference I would definitely go hydro. Shimano gets great reviews on their hydro brakes in general.

You could alternate, though I would choose red if you have red hubs (those reds probably aren’t a perfect match for the frame red, though?) unless you feel strongly about brass. Especially if the brass are 12mm (vs 14mm for alloy).

If you are lacing the wheels, be careful with alloy nipples; the red paint chips off easily.

[GB]

@vvill 117250 wrote:

You (umm… hozn) could alternate red and black nipples?

@hozn 117253 wrote:

vvill is right about spoke clearance being potential concern. If it is really just $100 difference I would definitely go hydro. Shimano gets great reviews on their hydro brakes in general.

You could alternate, though I would choose red if you have red hubs (those reds probably aren’t a perfect match for the frame red, though?) unless you feel strongly about brass. Especially if the brass are 12mm (vs 14mm for alloy).

If you are lacing the wheels, be careful with alloy nipples; the red paint chips off easily.

Thanks for the brake endorsement, I was leaning towards spending more money, just needed a little push.

The plan is for me to do the leg work on lacing the spokes and check in with Hozn for truing and tensioning. We’ll see how reality works out.

I could alternate colors, and I’ll see how that looks, but I think that if the red looks good I’ll go all red, and if not I’ll go all black. Both the balck and red nippls are brass, the red ones are coming from Taiwan. (This is going to be a well traveled bike before I put a mile on it). Because the red nipples are brass I’m a little more concerned about the color. I chickened out and got the black hubs, I thought this would make it more likely that I could use the red nipples, plus switch them to a new bike if needed.

[hozn]

Oh, if you got black hubs, then I would do black for sure. Or just see if you like the red nipples; it is your build, after all

[GB]

@hozn 117255 wrote:

Oh, if you got black hubs, then I would do black for sure. Or just see if you like the red nipples; it is your build, after all

We’ll see. I changed the hubs to black after seeing my flashy road wheels which have a black hub a red nips and look bling. Plus kayakcyndi is rockin’ orange nips on her otherwise black wheels and they look bling too.

[dkel]

@GB 117254 wrote:

I was leaning towards spending more money, just needed a little push.

Well, in that case, there are some things I need as well…

[KayakCyndi]

@GB 117256 wrote:

We’ll see. I changed the hubs to black after seeing my flashy road wheels which have a black hub a red nips and look bling. Plus kayakcyndi is rockin’ orange nips on her otherwise black wheels and they look bling too.

The orange on the Furley is pretty bling. Even when I’m riding it I notice the orange spin and it makes me smile.

You could just use all black with two red nips for accents around the valve stem. I saw some wheels built up this way and there a nice blend of understatement and bling.

[Phatboing]

@GB 117256 wrote:

We’ll see. I changed the hubs to black after seeing my flashy road wheels which have a black hub a red nips and look bling. Plus kayakcyndi is rockin’ orange nips on her otherwise black wheels and they look bling too.

I have red nipples on the Colossal’s wheels. +2 speed, +3 spiffyness.

[hozn]

@KayakCyndi 117259 wrote:

You could just use all black with two red nips for accents around the valve stem. I saw some wheels built up this way and there a nice blend of understatement and bling.

I did that on my commuter wheels. Of course, on my rear wheel I ended up running out of black nipples, so I have accent nipples on two sides of the wheel. Oh well. I also have blue rear hub (Hope) and red & black front hubs, so it’s a bit of patchwork. I call it character.

[GB]

Despite ordering from different websites at least 2 weeks apart the wheel parts (excluding red nips) arrived yesterday. Weekend project – figure out lacing.

[Author]

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